Subcommittee nixes toll roads in Southern Nevada

A legislative subcommittee closed the door Tuesday on plans by the state Department of Transportation to install toll stations, mostly in Southern Nevada.

The Senate-Assembly budget subcommittee rejected the recommendation of Gov. Brian Sandoval to spend up to $60,000 in each of the next two years to work with private companies to install toll stations on some of the major roads.

Senate Bill 485 to authorize the HOT lanes died in the Assembly Transportation Committee, but the money for the proposal was still included in the department's budget.

Under the proposal, "High Occupancy Tolling" (HOT) lanes would be established, allowing car pooling motorists to travel at no charge. A single driver in these lanes would be charged a fee.

The department argued that solo drivers would be able to achieve greater speeds instead of traveling in more congested general highway lanes.

These HOT lanes would have extended from Ann Road on U.S. 95 in the north to Silverado Ranch Boulevard on Interstate 15 in the south.

Budget advisors to the subcommittee said the transportation department maintains that Phases I and III of Project Neon, which will redesign I-15 between the Spaghetti Bowl and Sahara Avenue, will be need to be complete to implement HOT lanes.

The transportation department also will look at other roads in the state to determine if HOT lanes would be feasible.

HOT lanes are used in urban areas in other western states, such as in Salt Lake City; the San Diego area; Denver; and Orange County, Calif.